EXTREME SPORT CARS : All-electric 320 km/h Racing Car by Lola Drayson By The LUXURY CAR & MOTORSPORT Authority - Posted 03.06.2012
Imagine silent cars with a very thin jet sound instead of a brutal fossil fuel type v12 with that fat sounding bass full motor sounding... Well Drayson Racing might be really close to have that perfect new sound with this electric race car... How do you get more power out of an electric car than its main battery pack can deliver? Simple, turn the car's very bodywork into a battery, extract power from every bounce of its suspension system and, while you're at it, suck energy from the road surface too.
Such are the measures being built into an electric racing car capable of reaching 320 kilometres (200 miles) per hour by a UK-based consortium. Their aim is to perfect a multitude of novel electric-vehicle (EV) technologies and ultimately to transfer them to road cars. Led by Drayson Racing Technologies of Oxford and Lola Cars of Huntingdon, the 10-firm consortium also includes aerospace heavyweight BAE Systems in Warton, UK, and 3G-cellphone pioneer Qualcomm of San Diego, California. They want to improve on the range of today's EVs, says consortium leader Paul Drayson, which are normally limited to around 160 kilometres (100 miles).
"Don't judge electric cars by what you are seeing on the street right now," he says.
The first way they plan to improve range is to free the car's main battery from ancillary tasks like headlights. Enter BAE Systems' closely guarded "structural battery" technology - which allows sections of carbon-fibre bodywork to supply power. "They are made out of honeycombs of carbon fibre filled with a solution that gives them the energy storage capacity of a battery," says Julian Sole, chief designer at Lola Cars. "Their advantage is they can form any shape."
The structural battery is built into the rear of the car but there is no limit to how many of the car's surfaces could become batteries.
The next energy-scavenging trick comes from Multimatic of Rockingham, UK, which has harnessed the up-and-down motion of the car's suspension to generate electricity on the move. This charges a capacitor, whose discharge can be used to propel the car or power movable aerodynamic surfaces, which provide the super-slippery concept vehicle with road-holding downforce. The system mirrors the way regenerative braking in EVs and hybrids harvests deceleration energy rather than losing it as heat.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm's London-based Halo Inductive Power Transfer division is addressing another major EV hurdle: charging the main battery.
HaloIPT has developed doormat-sized pads packed with copper coils - one in the car, one in the road - that transfer power wirelessly to the car through electromagnetic induction. A HaloIPT spokesman claims that the system is 92 per cent efficient.
Drayson wants to populate the racing line on racetracks with the pads, so cars charge from the track during races. This kind of innovative charging technology, designed to keep the concept car flying around the track, will inevitably have wider applications. "The new generation of technology we are showcasing in electric racing will amaze people when it gets to road cars," he promises.
Drift until you crash it. This incredible video by Icon Motor sports shows an extremely fun short movie where pilots take the art of drifting to a whole new level!!
LUXURY : Mercedes-Benz New CL Class is Proof of Automaking Supremacy By The LUXURY CAR & MOTORSPORT Authority - Posted 03.06.2012
Since the beginning of Luxury Cars, Mercedes-Benz has always kept the bar high and that level of quality is still in place. Mercedes has now released its new CL class models and shows more than ever that their continuity in serving the LUXURY market is bigger and better than ever.
The Mercedes-Benz CL may be one of the grandest cars money can buy, thanks to its abundant horsepower, luxury, and interior space — but that hasn’t stopped Mercedes-Benz from cranking the car’s appointments and appearance to another level. The automaker has released the Grand Edition package for the CL-Class, promising an even grander driving experience.
Grand Editions don’t receive any modifications underhood. As a result, if you order a CL550 (or a CL500 as it’s known abroad), you still make do with the Mercedes-Benz standard 429-hp, twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter V-8. Likewise, CL600 Grand Edition models remain powered by the 510-hp, twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-12.
Outside of the engine compartment is a completely different story. CL550 and CL600 Grand Edition models receive plenty of unique interior and exterior appointments that help dress up the gargantuan coupe.
Grand Edition models are available in one of three colors, including platinum black metallic, mocha black metallic, and a matte magno cashmere white (the latter, Benz says, is “currently very voguish,” if that’s your sort of thing).
From there, Grand Edition models receive the full AMG sport package touch, which leaves it with a full aerodynamic kit, including front and rear aprons and a set of side sills. The exterior is capped off with 20-inch, 10-spoke aluminum wheels, and Grand Edition badging – lest anyone think your high-class cruiser is merely the banal CL550 or CL600.
Inside, seating surfaces seats are upholstered in specially dyed leather that reportedly enhances the hide’s natural grain and finish. Buyers can pick from one of three colors: Armagnac (the color of brandy), a light porcelain, and a deep black. Interior trim, as usual, can be finished in anything ranging from high-gloss walnut to black ash.
A Mercedes-Benz spokesman says it’s too early to tell if the CL550 and CL600 Grand Editions will ultimately arrive in the American market, but if it does, expect it to cost a pretty penny. In Europe, the Grand Edition model adds roughly $6400 to the base price of a CL – which, in our market, runs between $114,975 and $159,575 for the CL550 and the CL600, respectively. Don’t forget to throw in another $2000 or so for that “voguish” white paint.
MERCEDES-BENZ : Mercedes takes Illusion To a Whole New Level in Brand New Advertising CampaignBy The LUXURY CAR & MOTORSPORT Authority - Posted 03.06.2012
It's unique and Mercedes-Benz shows talent in this incredible yet rewarding experiment. Have you ever thought this would be possible?
SPORT CARS : Acura NSX Spider Car Design Leaked By The LUXURY CAR & MOTORSPORT Authority - Posted 03.06.2012
Ever since production of the first-generation Acura NSX ended in 2005, we’ve anxiously awaited its replacement, and after it finally bowed at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, we couldn’t be more excited — until now. Rumor has it a design sketch for an Acura NSX Spider is patent pending.
According to a Honda and Acura forum, sketches of a topless NSX supercar were leaked on a French automotive blog. Apparently, six drawings of the open-top supercar belonging to Honda were filed with the European Patent Office on February 22. The wireframe sketches show all angles of the car, and below them, 3D renderings of the coupe version of the Acura NSX show styling differences that would take place in the Spider. Both models look to be about the same, except for the chop top, of course.
This may not come as a complete surprise though. We already expected a convertible body style was in the cards after a mystery convertible Acura was spotted on the set of “The Avengers” movie. Although Acura spokesman Gary Robinson said the open-top sports car is a “one-off fictional car that was created just for the film,” we’ve been betting our lucky stars the movie prop would become a reality. And these sketches could be a very good indication of that. Imagine a topless version of this pretty thing...
